Oct 22 – Mosaics and Desert Castles

First stop this morning was a mosaic shop.  This shop is dedicated to preserving the art of mosaic making and also providing jobs to women and the differently abled.  We saw a workshop where they explained about cutting the tile pieces and making the designs.

Then it was off to the showroom…

with its many mosaics plus other local crafts such as rugs, jewelry...

and decorated ostrich eggs.

And we visited the archaeological museum there and saw more mosaics.

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More Madaba Archaeological Museum
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Then it was off across the eastern desert of Jordan to visit three desert castles. 

The Al Azraq Desert Castle was a fortress.

Massive Stone Door

The Queseir Amra is believed to be a hunting lodge and pleasure palace, complete with baths.

The Al Kharaneh Desert Castle was never occupied but is believed to have been a meeting place for tribal leaders to meet periodically and then move on. 

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More Desert Castles
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It was a lot of driving for three stops that lasted only about 15 minute or so, each. 

We rested for a while in the hotel before heading out.  Just as we were getting ready to leave the hotel we heard drums and bagpipes (yes, bagpipes in Jordan ... bagpipes were originally invented in the Middle East, possibly Anatolia or Greece, and eventually ended up in Scotland, which is known for their bagpipes).  Turns out they were the prelude to the arrival of the bride and groom for what we assume was their wedding reception.  Anyway, the bride was glowing, the groom was beaming, the little band played boisterously, and the family and friends were celebrating.  Big crowd, a bit of dancing and a fun experience.

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Video of wedding reception
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